Tabula Rasa Tag
by Merlin71
Summary: This is the extended Shepwhump version.


Title: Tabula Rasa Tag

Author: Merlin7/clarkangel

Disclaimer: Not mine

Rating: T

Archive: Anywhere

Summary: The extended Shep-Whump version

**TABULA RASA (Extended whump version)**

Ronon kept throwing glances over his shoulder, to make sure that Sheppard was keeping up with him. He was, barely. Slowing his stride, Ronon let Sheppard catch up to him, giving the man a careful once over. Sheppard didn't look so good. He was pale and sweating and trembling. "You okay?" Ronon asked, switching the bags with the plants to one had so he could grip Sheppard by the arm when he stumbled.

"Uh...guess so," John replied, looking confused. "Where are we going?"

"To find Teyla and..." Ronon broke off when he realized Sheppard didn't remember who Teyla was. He tightened his grip on Sheppard's arm and guided him along, picking up the pace again. "We're going to get help," Ronon amended.

John made a face then nodded. "That's...that's a good idea."

Ronon just grunted and moved them along. He could hear Lorne and the other soldiers following in their wake. A few minutes later he was in Rodney's lab, dumping the bags and locking eyes with Teyla. "How's it going?"

Teyla looked relieved to see them. "Rodney did it, we can spread the cure to everyone." She moved closer to them, eyeing Sheppard the way Ronon had done a few minutes earlier. She reached out to Sheppard. "How are you feeling, John?"

"Strange," he whispered. He lifted one hand to his temple, pressing hard. "Hot. It's hot in here."

"You will feel better soon," Teyla promised.

John looked at her, an expression of confusion on his face. Then his knees buckled as he went beyond pale and it was only Ronon's hand on his arm that kept him from hitting the floor hard.

Teyla helped support John as she locked eyes with Ronon. "I will take care of things here, get him to Keller."

"Will do." Ronon knew there was nothing more he could do here, but Sheppard needed him. With gentle ease he lifted his team leader into his arms and carried him out of the room. Behind him he heard the echo of Rodney asking,

"Is that guy going to be okay?"

Ronon strode off too quickly to hear Teyla's reply.

Five minutes later he was laying Sheppard out on an infirmary bed, then searching for Keller. It took Ronon another ten minutes to convince her she could help Sheppard. To remind her that she was a doctor and to use instinct to do her job. But there wasn't much she could do but make Sheppard comfortable while Teyla took care of sending out the cure. So it was Ronon who stripped Sheppard out of his uniform and dressed him in scrubs and got him settled under the covers of the bed in the corner. It was the least he could do for the man who had believed in him and offered him a home and a family. Because Ronon knew that's what he had here on Atlantis. So he sat beside Sheppard and waited for another miracle to happen. Because on Atlantis, it seemed like miracles happened all the time.

OoO

They all gathered in Keller's office, crowding the place as they sprawled whereever they could find room.

Carter looked at Keller. "How is everyone doing?"

"Better. Most people, like myself and you and Rodney and Zelenka and even Lorne are recovering swiftly." Keller looked surprised as she explained, but no more surprised than her audience.

"Why was Sheppard hit so hard?" Rodney asked. "And Katie." He almost stumbled over the botanist's name.

Keller shrugged. "It hits everyone differently. With Katie I'd say it's the fact that she was hit first so she suffered the effects the longest. With Sheppard, I'm guessing his genetic make up. His test results were a bit different." She didn't explain further.

Rodney snorted. "Why am I not surprised? He's part human, part Ancient, part Iratus bug and after having his life put back into him he's probably part Wraith." A glance at Teyla and he mumbled," No offense."

"None taken," Teyla calmly replied, then she turned her attention to Keller. "Will Katie and John be all right?"

"I'm a little concerned about Katie, but I think she's strong and she'll pull through," Keller said firmly, eyeing Rodney as she spoke.

"And Sheppard?" Carter prompted, looking tired, relieved and worried all at the same time.

Keller shrugged again. "He's tough and his vitals are good. Right now it's like he's in a really deep sleep and I can't help but believe that it's good for him. He'll wake up when he's ready."

Rodney jumped up. "I'm going to go sit with Katie." With that he was gone.

Ronon headed for the door as well, Teyla on his heels. As he passed Carter he rumbled, "Gonna sit with Sheppard," then he was gone.

Carter watched them go then she got up and patted Keller on the shoulder. "You did good," she stated warmly, and she meant it.

"Thanks." Keller didn't look convinced, but she headed out as well, no doubt to check on her patients.

Carter stayed put for a moment, giving herself the time to feel everything she was feeling. Letting her exhaustion wash over her but not settle. Then she squared her shoulders and headed out to visit her people. They had passed the crisis, now it was time for the healing to begin.

OoO

John heard voices. They were soft but they still made his head ache a bit and he couldn't quite identify them so he peeled his eyes open and was relieved to see Ronon and Teyla staring at him.

"You are awake, John," Teyla said, looking pleased.

He nodded. "What happened?"

"Teyla got the plant distributed through the ventilation system," Ronon replied.

John was glad to hear that. "So...everyone's okay?"

Teyla sighed and shook her head. "We were not able to save everyone."

John glanced around the area he was in and his eyes narrowed. "Where's Rodney?" he demanded, getting ready to get up and find his friend.

"He's with Katie Brown," Ronon replied, pressing a hand to John's shoulder and keeping him in place. "He's fine."

"How are you feeling, John?" Teyla queried, not even trying to hide the fact that she was trying to distract him.

"Um...good," John replied. He let himself relax against the pillows. "So...how long have I been out of it?"

Teyla and Ronon exchanged glances then Ronon replied, "About a day."

John was surprised to hear that. "A day? What about everyone else? Is everyone down for the count or what?"

"A few of those first affected are still here," Teyla replied. "Most everyone else recovered swiftly. They're just tired."

"You got hit hard," Ronon added, looking amused.

John refused to let himself pout. He just told himself he'd been tired before the whole thing started and was making up for lost sleep. "Well...I'm feeling fine now so where are my clothes?"

Teyla quirked an eyebrow at him. "Dr. Keller locked them up in her office."

"What?" John narrowed his eyes at Teyla, searching deep to see if she was just messing with him. But she looked sincere. So he asked her outright. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I am not." Teyla patted his leg. "She said she does not trust you to try and leave without permission. She has read all of Dr. Beckett's notes concerning your infirmary stays."

John knew he couldn't beat that bad rep, but he felt a twinge at the mention of Carson's name. He missed him. "Fine. So how long am I here for? Can you get Keller for me?"

Ronon stood up. "I'll get her, but she told us you'd be here for at least another twenty-four hours once you woke up." He patted John on the leg as well, hard enough to sting, then was gone.

"I really do feel fine," John said to Teyla, offering up puppy dog eyes. Which he knew from the past didn't work on her, but he was feeling desperate. "You could grab my gym bag for me." He had a full change of clothes in it at all times.

"You need to rest and to obey doctor's orders, John," Teyla chided him gently. "I'm going to check on Rodney and Katie and I will be back soon. Be good." With that direct order, she glided away.

John watched her go and behaved himself for a whole two minutes. At which point he realized he really needed to go to the bathroom. Since no one was around and he didn't even spot a nurse, he slid out of bed, catching himself on the corner when his knees buckled a bit. Once the dizziness passed, John made his way to the bathrooms in the back, shuffling along a bit because he felt surprisingly weak and lightheaded. He told himself it was lack of food and clung to that thought as he reached the bathroom, did his business, washed his hands then staggered back out.

He really didn't want to stay here. There were about a dozen other patients and Keller had her hands full. He would go to his room, grab a shower and rest. No problem. Other than the fact that his legs felt like rubber. But John was determined, and determination had gotten him through alot of rough times. So he made it back to his room, took his shower, managed to get dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt when everything tilted to the left and he felt himself falling. Then there was a white-bright burst of pain, then the lights went out.

OoO

It was a clacking noise that brought John back to awareness. A familiar clacking noise along with a familiar muttering. John peeled his eyes open and wasn't the least bit surprised to see Rodney working on his laptop. A glance around did surprise him though. He was back in the infirmary.

"You're awake." Rodney always accused John of stating the obvious, but he was guilty of it just as much.

"Guess so," John mumbled, his tongue feeling like it was stuck to the roof of his mouth. He turned his head and there was the ever present water glass. He reached for it but Rodney beat him too it.

Looking peeved, Rodney handed it over. "You're an idiot!" he snapped.

John took a few sips of the cool water then made to set it back down on the table, only to have Rodney snatch it out of his hands and do it for him. "Thanks," John replied, his voice working better now. "How's Katie?" Nothing like diversionary tactics, when faced with a verbal assault from McKay.

"She's fine and your'e still an idiot!" Rodney hissed. "What were you thinking leaving the infirmary?"

"I was thinking I felt fine and Keller had enough on her plate," John replied in his own defense, and he was starting to get pissed.

The sound of footsteps approaching distracted both of their attention from each other. Carter looked grim as she approached and Keller looked angry.

John tried to sink back into his pillows as both women approached him. He shot a pleaful glance at McKay who merely shook his head and faded into the background as much as he could.

Keller spoke up first, checking his monitors at the same time. "How are you feeling, Colonel?" Her tone was perfectly professional but her expression was a bit frosty.

"You tell me, Doc," John replied, feeling too weary to fight. Besides which, now that he was awake he realized his head and side ached. He didn't remember then aching before. Well, his head had ached a little, but not like this.

"You have a mild concussion and bruised ribs, Colonel," Keller announced. "Received when you fell in your quarters. Which wouldn't have happened had you been in this infirmary bed where you belonged." She sounded almost pleased by his injuries, and way too smug.

John wasn't sure how to respond to that so he decided to focus on Carter to gauge her reaction to him. She still looked grim with an underlying dash of amusement. So John sighed, carefully, taking into account his soreness. "I'm sorry, Doc," he replied, and he meant it. "I felt fine when I left and you had a full house. I figured I'd just go rest in my room."

Keller looked like she wanted to yell at him, but instead she rolled her eyes and fussed with his covers. "I appreciate the thought, Colonel. But in the future, let me decide the state of your welfare. As it is, you'll be here for another four to six days."

"What?" John was stunned and angry and confused. "Why so long? I have a hard head and I've bruised my ribs before. No big deal. I don't need to be here for four more days."

"Or six!" Rodney piped up, sounding delighted.

John would have glared at him if he hadn't been blocked by Carter. "I'm fine," he insisted, looking at both women. Both of whom were in charge of his fate. Sometimes his life really sucked.

Carter moved closer, locking eyes with John. "Dr. Keller and I both feel it's best that you remain here until you're one hundred percent, John. And it's not just because of your irresponsibility in leaving too soon. Your blood work isn't back to normal and you're running a temp. Until both things have cleared up, I think it's best that you remain under Keller's care."

"Oh." John took a moment to assess how he was feeling and he realized he did feel fever achy and a bit chilled. "Why hasn't my blood work cleared up yet?"

"I don't know." Keller didn't look happy about it either. "The virus for lack of a better word, just seems to be taking longer to break down in your system. It's almost gone but I'd rather be overly cautious for now."

John knew it was the right thing to do, but it figured he'd get hit harder than anyone else. Which reminded him. "How's Katie?" he asked, watching as Rodney stepped around Carter and moved to his side again.

"She's fine," Rodney replied, looking happy. "She got released to her room this morning."

"That's great!" John meant it. He was happy for Rodney. But he wasn't so happy when he looked around and realized he was the only one left in the infirmary. It also sucked that he was feeling tired again and he had to stifle a yawn.

Which Keller caught. "Time for you to get some more sleep, Colonel. It's the best thing for you."

He decided to do as she said and maybe if he was on his best behavior she'd let him out earlier. However, he had one quibble. "Can I eat first?"

"I'll get you some soup," Keller replied, looking pleased.

"I'll get it," Carter offered. "Be right back."

John felt a little weirded out by his CO getting him soup, but he let it go in favor of picking at the tape on the back of his hand. And it was freaking him out a bit that he had only just noticed he had an IV. A slap on his fingers made him look up.

"Stop that," Keller ordered, waggling her forefinger at him.

"Sorry." John didn't feel very repentant though. He felt tired and achy and cranky and hungry with a side order of growing nausea. All of the sudden he didn't want the soup. He just wanted everyone to go away and leave him to his misery.

Keller seemed to get the hint. She scanned his vitals. "Temp's up a bit, I'll get you something for that. Just rest, Colonel." With that she was gone.

Which left John with Rodney, and Rodney had settled himself back in his chair and was clacking away at his laptop. John watched him for a moment, feeling his eyes grow heavy. "You don't have to stay," he mumbled.

"I know that!" Rodney snapped, in a rather muffled tone. "Go to sleep."

It was an order John couldn't help but obey. He drifted off into warm darkness, knowing Rodney was watching his back.

OoO

He made it out of the infimary in three days, due to good behavior. But it wasn't a clean escape. Keller had assigned his team to keep watch over him for the next three days, which meant they were taking turns camping out in his room. Or would take turns, once the movie was over. Rodney had found the equivalent of an LCD TV screen and had hooked up a DVD system in connection with his laptop and now they were watching the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Ronon was enthralled, Teyla was entertained, Rodney was chowing on popcorn and John was dozing.

He jolted awake when something brushed over him and he realized it was Teyla covering him with a blanket. 

"Sorry," she apologized. "You looked cold. Can I get you anything?"

"No..I'm good," John whispered. He kept his eyes open long enough to see that the movie was at the halfway point, then he let him close as he rode a wave of contentment back into slumber.

Life was good.

**THE END**


End file.
